


we will always be eighteen (and beautiful)

by luneytunes_ (luney_tunes)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Character Death, M/M, OsaAkaWeek, OsaAkaWeek2020, Osaaka, Rivals, Songfic, Yes Someone will Die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26481238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luney_tunes/pseuds/luneytunes_
Summary: Akaashi and Osamu relive the moments when they were eighteen, preparing for a reunion that they didn't expect.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Miya Osamu, Akaashi Keiji/Miya Osamu
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21
Collections: Osaaka Week 2020





	we will always be eighteen (and beautiful)

**Author's Note:**

> song lyrics from: Lady A - Dancin' Away With My Heart
> 
> day 3 of osaaka week, enjoy!

**_I finally asked you to dance on the last slow song_ **

**_Beneath that moon that was really a disco ball_ **

**_And I can still feel my head on your shoulder_ **

**_Hoping that song would never be over_ **

The notes echo around the grand hall in the palace, decorated with motifs of white beneath anything that glistens regardless of the amount of light that enters in. Above him he sees the stained windows that showers him with rays of red, yellow, and blue. 

“Your highness, is everything according to your liking?” 

Akaashi turned to the royal advisor and flashed him a smile that he’s practiced so many times in front of a mirror. It was for formalities, and yet somehow the mask he wore became a part of his skin, and he doesn’t know if it was for pleasantries or if he was really genuine. 

“As expected, I can always count on your tastes. Thank you for your efforts.” 

“All the best for the upcoming coronation and this nation’s new king.”

The royal servants were focused once more on their work, decorating the palace with curtains and chandeliers and decals on the walls. However, Akaashi Keiji’s attention was back on the ceiling, now reminiscing of the night from years ago.

_ A disco ball hangs on the centerpiece of the room, the moon shining directly on it while slow music played through the makeshift speakers on the corners of the room. Various people in dresses and suits flocked on the dance floor, swaying to the beat and making conversation after a few sips of champagne. Akaashi has just finished his fifth offer of a dance from various women and men, hoping to gain his favor and win his heart. _

_ However, Akaashi wasn’t so simple of a person, or so he thought. The next hand he held was rough on the surface, yet handled him more gently than the others, and the grey eyes that met him were more disinterested, added to the fact that this male was significantly taller.  _

_ “I, uh, lost a bet and had to do my brother’s dare.”  _

_ The stranger spoke, releasing a small grunt and visibly showed distaste at the mention of his brother. It was a person Akaashi had never seen before, so he presumed the guy to be a guest from another nation, so he graciously accepted the ruggedly formed request.  _

_ “Then I shall try not to disappoint.”  _

_ In an instant Akaashi was swept off his feet, already matching the stranger’s movements with his own steps and time seemed to move slower than before. Everyone else moved in slow motion and the voices were muffled aside from the two of them.  _

_ It was as if they were in their own little world.  _

_ But Akaashi had his dignity, and often never asked for names unless they offered him. He may have been a gracious prince, but he was also wise and smart in his own accord, and that would mean remembering only the most important of names that he would need to later on. And for the first time, he has hesitated in asking for someone’s name.  _

_ It may have been the champagne, or the coming of age high, but at eighteen Akaashi decided to be reckless for five seconds and rest his forehead on the stranger’s shoulder. He was broad and firm despite looking like they’re around the same age, and it never did anything right to Akaashi’s nerves that were going haywire.  _

_ “You smell like flowers…” _

_ He doesn’t know if it was possible for men to smell pleasantly good, for all he knew were older men in overpowering perfume, but this stranger here was reminiscent of a garden full of roses that were blooming in a peaceful spring morning. And when the stranger laughs, it sends butterflies in his stomach to go haywire.  _

_ “I take that as a compliment, your highness. You’re quite a garden yourself.”  _

_ In that moment Akaashi had no time to be flustered as he was distrubed by a pat on his shoulder. The world begins to move normally again when his attention shifts to one of the guests who offered a dance, and the warmth from the stranger’s hand disappears to be replaced with something plain once more.  _

  
  


“Your highness, the preparations are now complete. One more review of the menu and the oath, and the last fitting of the outfit for last minute-changes, and we will be good to go with two days for adjustments.” 

The nostalgia was immediately replaced with an adrenaline rush for the present, his nerves already shaken from the fact that he will be the nation’s stronghold and direction. He knows there are aspects that are lacking, but he knows that sooner or later he would have to overcome it on his own. 

“Thank you for your hard work. You can all rest for the remainder of the day.” 

  
  


**_I haven’t seen you in ages_ **

**_Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are_ **

**_For me you’ll always be eighteen_ **

**_And beautiful_ **

**_And dancing away with my heart_ **

Colors radiate throughout the room as Akaashi walks on the carpet, towards where the designated platform was, and knelt on the thin cushion provided on the floor. Before him were the select few aristocrats along with his father who stood in the middle. Trumpets resonate around the area, and he becomes aware of the gasps and murmurs of the townspeople behind him. 

The spectators pause in silence at the same time the music halted. Akaashi’s eyes were closed, only relying on sound and touch to anticipate what happens next. The silence scared him, for it was as if the whole nation could hear the pounding of his heart. But he could not waver or show the least bit of fear and hesitation, so he swallowed it down and eased himself through breathing. 

There was a touch on his shoulders, then the top of his head. Before long there was a significant weight on the area, and a lighter one on his shoulders. He recognizes the scent of linen and the tinge of metal, the cape’s top lining also tickling the underside of his jaw. 

He opens his eyes and finds his father’s proud look. The crown atop his head was just as heavy as his responsibilities, and the cape reminding him to be gentle and fair, not letting the burden of duty and prestige of power blind him into greed. 

“Hail the new king!” 

Cheers of the townspeople fill the castle, the smiles of the people greeting him as he turns around. These are the people he will be serving, their needs he’d be addressing from today onward, 

The day continues into festivities, and Akaashi sits on the respective seat on the banquet where he can observe the crowd rejoicing for new hope and more prosperity in the future. However, his mind wanders off to when he was eighteen, wondering where the boy with grey eyes and scent of roses had been all this time. 

All the people whose names chant the new king’s name, yet the king himself wonders if he was ever remembered by someone whose name he doesn’t know. 

  
  


**_I brushed your curls back so I could see your eyes_ **

**_And the way you moved me was like you were reading my mind_ **

**_I can still feel you lean in to kiss me_ **

**_I can’t help but wonder if you ever miss me_ **

_ Curled hair, blue eyes, and a figure to die for. His back straight and skin flawless, Osamu doesn’t miss the way Akaashi Keiji stood out from everyone else.. After He finds the brince seated in the middle of the garden while everyone else is enjoying the festivities of the royal son’s eighteenth birthday. _

_ He takes caution in approaching, for he knows how the prince’s relations are important, and he doesn’t want to be reckless and selfish to tarnish the young boy’s reputation. So when everyone else was busy drinking and merrymaking, even his brother who had started to chat up with some locals, he approached the royalty.  _

_ “May I accompany the prince on his special day one more time?” He asks, being greeted with a full view of Akaashi’s rosy cheeks and glistening eyes in the dim of the night. Although seemingly nonchalant, Osamu knows that he has been captivated since the instant he laid his eyes on him.  _

_ When the raven-haired male didn’t show any sign of discomfort, or tell him to scram, he sits beside him only to catch a faint whiff of alcohol. Akaashi had been drinking, no doubt, for royalties never held back in their merrymaking in more ways than one.  _

_ “Hey, do you think I’d make a great leader?”  _

_ The question takes Osamu back. Before him wasn’t the usual proud and steadfast young prince of a prestigious family, but a young boy who just turned eighteen and had the whole world on his shoulders. And in all honesty, he doesn’t know how Akaashi would lead a land, nor would he be there to witness it when it happens, so he doesn’t know what to say at the moment that would be honest.  _

_ “Why not? You lead the dance just well earlier, and everyone seems to like you…”  _

_ The words slip so easily from his mouth that it feels unnatural to be himself at this moment. For starters, Osamu was just as foul-mouthed as his brother on regular occasions, and often he would be nonchalant and spare no glance at anyone else, yet in just one night Akaashi managed to change him.  _

_ “I mean, your heart is good. Good hearts with good intentions lead the best.”  _

_ On normal days he would cringe. He wouldn’t ever imagine himself spewing out such words, let alone match it with gestures of brushing a handsome prince’s hair off his forehead to admire such a pretty face. Nor did he expect to be reciprocated with the said prince leaning in for a kiss on his lips. _

_ As expected, such tiers were soft and gentle, no less from royalty. However, the bliss from a lingering and impulsive act was short-lived as the prince pulled away after the stolen peck. He bids Osamu goodbye, the latter all sat down in stupor at the turn of events.  _

  
  


“Oi Samu!” 

His brother's voice wakes him from the daydream, only to notice that he’s pressing a grain of rice on his lower lip. In his flustered haste he draws his arm back and accidentally elbows his brother’s gut. 

“Oops- Guess that was half meant, Tsumu.” 

“Shut yer trap Samu and quit sleeping on the job, we have a job to do.” 

“Jeez, I know I know. Quit yapping and let me do my thing. We can’t go to war without rations after all.” 

“Whatever. Just finish that then head back to quarters.” 

He could only roll his eyes and groan in exasperation at the disrupted daydream and being nagged at by the last person he wants to hear from. But at the back of his mind he still thinks of the prince that night, wondering if he recalls the way he shook Osamu’s heart.

  
  


**_I haven’t seen you in ages_ **

It has been long since he last set foot in the kingdom. Five years ago he would have been visiting one of the grandest parties of the nation as ordered by his father. However, today, he returns for a different purpose. Osamu’s heart pounds loudly in his chest, louder than the heavy footsteps of the horses behind him, wondering if he would ever see the prince again.

**_Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are_ **

**“** Go! I’ll take care of them!” 

There was no doubt that Akaashi was skilled in swordfighting, agile on his feet and still graceful with his movements despite the weight of the blade. A few enemy soldiers were taken down, but it was only in movies that people are able to take on more than a dozen enemies alone and unscathed. It’s reality that nobody waits for you to finish fighting one to move to another, humans are cunning creatures when in groups after all. 

A slash on his leg brings him down, losing his strength and balance, eventually beaten down and receiving numerous injuries on his limbs and back. Once he was down, he was left and spared no glance at, heading off to who knows where. Blood begins to pool in the rubble underneath, and Akaashi Keiji sees his life flash before his very eyes that he doesn't know if the pair of familiar grey eyes before him would be reality or just an illusion.

**_For me you’ll always be eighteen_ **

Not much has changed with Akaashi Keiji over the years. He grew taller, gained more muscle and improved his posture further. Despite being hunched and bloodied on the ground, Osamu can see that the king had beauty that never faded, and suddenly he was back to being eighteen. 

In silence he holds Akaashi’s hand, then guides him to lay him down back first to at least make the end comfortable. If only he could, he’d save Akaashi and run away to another country where their names and faces were not known. But he knows that if Akaashi finds out their nation was behind this, he would never be forgiven by the fallen king. 

By instinct he cups Akaashi’s cheek, making sure to memorize every single detail; high cheekbones, beautiful blue eyes, a few bloodied scratches, and his hair curled up sticking to his forehead. 

**_And beautiful_ **

Akaashi is a masterpiece, a work of art. 

Osamu doesn’t deny himself one last kiss on the boy’s forehead before letting the tears stream down his cheek. 

The king was laid down again on the ground, nothing but the sound of footsteps fading along with a whisper.

“I’m sorry, Akaashi.”

**_And dancing away with my heart_ **

_ A disco ball hangs on the centerpiece of the room, the moon shining directly on it while slow music played through the makeshift speakers on the corners of the room. Various people in dresses and suits flocked on the dance floor, swaying to the beat and making conversation after a few sips of champagne. Akaashi has just finished his fifth offer of a dance from various women and men, hoping to gain his favor and win his heart. _

_ He was eighteen years old once more, holding the hand of a grey-eyed stranger who smelled like fresh roses on the dawn of spring, delving in the laughter of his own bluntness, keeping the conversation without finally being interrupted.  _

_ “Osamu Miya.”  _

_ “Pleasure to finally know your name, Osamu.” Strangely there was no bitterness in his heart, no fear or burden for the future that is to come, only contentment and bliss to have finally found the name to his spring. _

_ “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Akaashi.” _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading up until here!!  
> I heard the song on the radio one morning and I thought of using it as an inspiration to write this fic. I'm sorry for any typos and grammatical errors as I was making this last minute until wee dawn and I couldn't recognize anymore if there were underlines in the gdocs form ><
> 
> please don't leave a like and comment on what your interpretation of the last scene would be, i'd love to hear your theories!


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